Exergy analysis of solar air-conditioning systems and their applicability

Abstract

The major part of energy used today comes from conventional sources such as coal, oil and natural gas. Based on data from the EU, the use of energy in the building sector for space heating, cooling and water heating makes up 40% of the total energy used. The use of energy in buildings is the biggest consumer of energy having surpassed the transportation and industry sectors. Additionally, the energy transformation processes and the use of energy are responsible for 94% of the total emissions of CO2 , with 45% coming from the building sector. If no measures are taken to improve the building sector energy use, this figure may increase to 70% by the year 2030. Solar energy may be one of the measures to reduce the CO2 emissions in the building sector. In the Mediterranean countries and specifically in Greece the energy from solar radiation reaches 1700 kWh/m2 per year. The energy use in the summer goes mainly to air-conditioning. The objective of this work is to assess the potential of solar cooling in Greece, using as a case study a medical center in Igoumentisa. Also, the economic analysis will shed light to the feasibility of the use of such systems.